What Wakes You Up in the Morning?

An amazing young person recently asked me "What makes you wake up in the morning?" She asked me the question in a message, and I thought about it, really thought, because she deserved more than a cliche or Insta/Twitter-ready catchphrase. So, I pondered. As I started to type my response, she added another message: "I'm finding it hard to even come up with a thought relating to why I do."

That was a gut-punch. This is a young person with a creative mind, a warm heart, and deep soul. She has every reason to wake up in and keep tail each morning, to step into a world that needs her, that can be so much better, now and in the future, because of her. Yet, she struggled to see that. She was in a shadow. Stuck. A lot of people, especially young people are in such a place right now. It is not a good place, and as we begin to return to school (buildings or virtual, whatever it might be), we have to understand that. Many of our kids are struggling to wake up each morning. 

Then she added, "I just need a little encouragement."

That sentence struck me too. For the "Suck it up Buttercup" crowd and the "kids these days are soft" groaners, she wasn't asking for someone else to solve her problems or hand her an easy path. Quite the opposite. She wanted to do it herself; she wanted to get up. She also knew she needed a nudge, a little something to help her get up and headed in that direction. That's not whining or being soft. It's self-awareness, and it is solution-seeking. It's a quiet sense of strength, even if one doesn't know where the strength is at the time. 

That short string of messages has stuck in my head. I roll it around when I go walking or sit down to plan for the weeks ahead. Yeah, motivational speakers and PD presenters have asked "What gets you up each day" countless times, but this was different. The question wasn't rhetorical, nor was it meant to be a slogan to market an idea or sell a book. This was authentic. Personal. Sincere. Our kids are usually like that. Unfortunately, we aren't always awake enough to see it. 

So, what wakes me up in the morning?

Each day, something is going to happen. That is a fact. I get to be a part of that something, of the long list of somethings that will take place that day, good or bad. And within each and every something, there is a someone. I cannot just go through the motions. I have to be intentional; I have to be sincere. 

And sometimes, I too will need a little nudge to get up. 

I think I know where to look for that.